ABRAHAM SERIES: THE TEST

Apostle Paul in his writings (Galatians 3:6-9, Romans 4:11-12) noted that Abraham was known as the “father of faith” because of the example he displayed in Genesis 22. In that chapter, God tested Abraham with an order that said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

As I pondered this order, I wondered if Abraham’s previous actions led God to this point. From Genesis 11 to Genesis 20 the scriptures revealed Abraham as being a man of secrets and often wavering in his faith. Unfortunately, during his time of wavering, his family was negatively impacted, and God repeatedly had to come to their rescue. In this blog, I will share how Abraham displayed his faith and trust in God and passed God’s test; however, his approach caused irreparable damage to his family.

Early in the morning, choosing to obey the directive he received from God, Abraham took Isaac, two of his young servants, and his ass saddled with wood and started on their journey. Arriving at their destination three days later, Abraham instructed his servants to stay with the ass while he and Isaac went further on. Abraham gave Isaac the wood to carry, while he carried the fire and knife. Seeing they had no sacrificial lamb, Isaac questioned his father about the missing sacrifice, to which Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”

When they arrived at the place of sacrifice, Abraham built an altar, laid the wood on it, bound Isaac on it, and lifted the knife to slay Isaac. At that moment, an angel from heaven stopped him and said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” Looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught in the bushes behind him, and he replaced his son with it. The scriptures state, “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”

After the sacrifice was completed, the angel again called to Abraham and told him that because of his obedience to offer up his only son, God would bless him greatly, his seed would be numerous as the stars and the sand, and they would possess the gate of their enemies. When the communication with the angel ended, Abraham, with Isaac notably missing, returned to his two servants, and they went to Beersheba, where he took up residence. 

Genesis 22 ends with the lineage of Abraham’s brother Nahor being shared with the name of Rebekah, Nahor’s granddaughter and Issac’s future wife being revealed in the text.

Before I share my nuggets, I will share my commentary on this chapter. I believe Abraham received instructions from God that he should have shared with his wife. Since Sarah had to wait so long to bear a child, I am sure she would have protested Abraham’s actions; however, this could have been Abraham’s opportunity to build Sarah’s faith in God.

Isaac’s age at this time was not stated. I assume he was possibly in his teen years. He probably had a good, loving relationship with his father and trusted him with his life. Also, he probably thought he was on a nice sacrificial trip with his father. When Isaac questioned Abraham about the sacrifice, Abraham probably did not want to scare Isaac by telling him that it was him. Unbeknownst to what was going to occur during the last legs of the journey, Isaac carried the heaviest items. He became the burden bearer and, without realizing it, walked with his father into a difficult place.

I believe Isaac was traumatized as his father tied him up and placed him on the altar. His trust in his father was shattered, and when he was released, he did not wait to accompany his father off the mountain. He probably ran most of the three-day journey home and then told his mother, Sarah, what had transpired. Abraham did not return home to face the wrath of Sarah, and according to the scripture, he never saw his wife alive again. Sadly, after all the years they were together, their later years ended with them separated.

Now, here are the nuggets I gleaned from this chapter:

When God tests you, He may require you to give up something that is very valuable to you.

Unless God advises otherwise, it is best to share information that could gravely affect your loved ones.

Ask God how to approach those who are connected to your destiny with vital information.

Let your testimony build others to trust God as much as you do.

Delaying doing a difficult task does not make it easier to do.

Answer difficult questions.

Keeping secrets can be detrimental to your future.

Some sacrifices have to be tied up before they are offered.

There are rewards for being obedient and passing the test.

God is our Jehovahjireh.